Smugglers Notch

Great place for family. The place is clean, the views are amazing from any room you get. There are lots of pools. There is a heated indoor water playground that my 3 kids love even on warm days they want to go there. The pirate dinner entertainment was great. The food was ok. The people are very very nice. We are having the best time!

I have been going there at least once a year for the past couple years, twice this winter! I’m not a skier, I go strictly as a babysitter, so I know nothing about anything related to skiing! I have done the snow mobiles, which is super fun! Over the years, the rooms we have stayed in have gotten smaller and smaller. Even the small rooms are ok, but here’s what I just don’t get… This is a resort, you spend all kinds of money for the room, for lift tickets, for food, and for just about EVERYTHING you do there, and I can (sorta) understand that. What I don’t understand is them charging for Wifi! You go just about anywhere, coffee shops, restaurants, hell — even gas stations and you get free wifi, but you go to an upscale kind of resort and they make you pay for it. Ridiculous!!! RIDICULOUS!!!

The café right at the top of sterling lift, Top of the Notch, is the perfect place to stop after a long run down the mountain. Their potato soup is amazing and the counter service is excellent.

Great resort. Only reason for 4 stars are some newer lifts that are faster and fit more people would be great.

We had a great studio room right on the lift for 3 days, literally, 20 yards away from skiing with fireplace, balcony. One king bed with sofa. Perfect for 2 – 3 people. I like the mountain, lots of trails, for all levels. Very friendly staff !!! Anyone from customer service to a ski instructor on the mountain who was giving my daughter advice when she wasn’t even part of any groups. Love them, all. I would take all of them back to NYC. Food on resort, some ok, some not so ok and some above ok. You can bring your own as you have a stow and all the pots and pans you need are in your room. Pool — average size, with two hot tubs, we stayed on a very busy weekend so yes it was packed, but I didn’t care. Funzone for kids — looked fun for all kids but once again it was packed so just briefly looked at and left. Over all good experience, its little far for folks from NYC as it took us about ⁶⁄₇ h, and for a weekend getaway little too much driving but ye I would come back.

Decent lodge, decent snow, lifts are sloooowwwww…

Came for a week on our honeymoon. Really enjoyed the locale. The people in the village are awesome.
Personal suggestion: unless you have 3 hours +, avoid the Wyndham sales pitch. They’ll tell you it’s only a 1.5 hour presentation, true, but then they spent 2 more hours as they gave us every exhaustive detail as to why it’s such a great idea to buy in. Even after repeatedly reminding them that we were on our honeymoon, and several assurances that they were expediting the process for us.

We came here for a summer getaway. We won’t be returning anytime soon, at least until global warming causes rising ocean levels to drive us up into the mountains.
The staff here needs some serious training in customer service. Whenever we asked something — and no, we didn’t make weird extreme requests or too many requests — we were turned down. The reasons given were nothing more than, «it’s our policy», as if these people are totally unable to bend the policy when it comes to guests’ enjoyment. When we pushed a little, we got ludicrous, made-​up excuses, followed by that «sorry, it’s policy». We asked for our daughter to be included in a slightly older group, and Kaylie (sp?) and Eric both made up silly reasons to say no. Apparently parents of the 15 – 17 year old kids would complain if the group included a slightly younger member, even though they suggested instead that our 17 year old son join her in the 11 – 15 year group (so parents of 11 year old girls wouldn’t mind 17 year old boys hanging around with them? No. Sorry, it’s policy).
The condos are strangely maintained — one room had only one light, no switch — so it had to be plugged in and unplugged to turn it on and off. Plugging in a lamp in the darkness is a definitely safety hazard, but when we talked to someone about it, it was clear they didn’t really care. I guess electrocuting guests is policy here, too.
The food on the resort is mediocre and overpriced. The things to do are run down and certainly none of this is worth the rate we’re paying for the privilege of being bound to inflexible, arbitrary policy. Yes, I’m annoyed about that, can you tell? If they charged us half what we paid, it might fit the feeling we get here of it being a kind of run-​down budget summer place in a nice scenic area. But at premium prices, we expect good accommodations and (especially) staff who actually know something about hospitality. Maybe they can get away with attitudes like that when it’s ski season, and people will tolerate anything just to ski here. During the summer, that just doesn’t fly with us. Please consider alternatives before coming here in the summer. You can do better.

Spent a week at smuggs and can’t say I will return. I don’t live in a big town but I felt very isolated in Jeffersonville. We didn’t sign up the kids for any extra activities since every activity was an extra $ 85/​day per kid. Tennis court use costs extra too. The kids basically spent time at the fun zone and in the pools. Both were average. Nothing spectacular. The fun zone is very run down. Lots of machines out of order. We ended up planning our own excursions which were a lot of fun. Definitely do the gondola ride and hike at the top of the mountain. Also worth it was the restaurant at the top of the gondola ride. Or being your own snacks. Either way works. The canoe/​kayak ride with Berts Boats is relatively inexpensive and lots of fun.
All the restaurants in the immediate vicinity of the resort are overpriced and not anything extraordinary. You will get fleeced for any groceries you want to buy so come prepared with some basics. We learned by the second day and picked up some eggs, bread and milk in Stowe. Stay away from the resort food. Terrible and overpriced.
The condo/​tamarack home we had was average. I had to wash all the towels to reuse and opted not to get daily housekeeping since they said it was an additional $ 50+ charge. Maybe if I had a better idea of what was included with the package we had, I would know what I wanted to use. Just seemed to be a lot of excessive charges for everything so I stopped wondering and asking and we planned our own day trips and did our own cleaning. Not different from home and not a true vacation.
The drive from smuggs to Stowe was the best! That’s the drive through the «notch» that takes you to Stowe/​Ben & Jerry’s etc.
I can’t say we will return to this resort. It was a decent stay but nothing extraordinary that would make me want to return.

We really love it here! Great heated and clean pools, outstanding views and friendly staff! There’s always something going on at the resort and plenty to see in Stowe and Waterbury. The «notch» is a little intimidating on the long and windy mountain to get up here but it’s definitely worth it! My only recommendation would to bring plenty of food so that you don’t have to travel down the mountain for every meal. There are options right near smuggs but even for eggs or bread, it’s a little trip. We can’t wait to come back though!

Great trails (for only having done the green and blue ones). The ski Instructors really know what they’re doing, I highly recommend taking a private lesson! The chair lifts could move a lot faster. Otherwise, a pretty great experience.

The mountain is good. Some nice skiing and we had some great powder. We did one day of ski instruction and our instructor was awesome. We used Treasures Nursery for our 14m old and he loved it. We called to make sure he was doing ok and they sent us a pic of him playing. I am not sure if he got a stomach bug from there or just too much of different food, bc he threw up and had diarrhea that night. :(
I knew we were getting in really early so I called during the week to let them know we would be in around 1, the representative said they would work to get our room ready early and it definitely wouldn’t be 6pm, which is their check in time. Well. we checked in around 1, put our name on the waiting list and waited, and waited. I received a call at 6:15pm that our room was ready, really?! So 5 hours with a 14m old room less was indeed as frustrating as it could get. To add to that our luggage didn’t make the plane, obv not smuggs fault but still a pain.
Like another reviewer said, get some high speed lights or quads! It takes forever to get to the top of the mountain in single digit temps.

Smuggs was great! We liked how there is the «green» mountain and then the «blue and blacks.» The trails were fairly well maintained, and even with 6 – 8 inches of fresh snow one day, it was still nicely skiable for beginner intermediates. The buses to get between hills and our condo and meals were great as well.
Only complaint is the lifts. SMUGGS… Invest in some high speed quads! Getting up the Madonna on a cold day is awfully slow and cold!!!

I’ve been going to Smuggs on family ski trips pretty much every year around Christmas since 2008. Although a bit of a drive from the NYC metro area (anywhere from 6.5 — 9 hours depending on your number of rest stops and how the weather is), Smuggler’s Notch offers both challenging terrain (including a triple black diamond through the glades) and plenty of entertainment for the kids in your family. There’s dining on site and a general store for groceries, so one doesn’t necessarily have to travel outside of the resort for supplies, including wood for the fire places available in some of the units.
What I especially like: Madonna Mountain (Upper Chilcoot), Sterling Mountain (Drifter, Top of the Notch), the Friendly Pirate, bonfire and fireworks on New Year’s Eve, free hot chocolate every afternoon at 4:00, super friendly teaching pros, one of the best boot fitters around, free demo skis, tons of snow making, generally great skiing conditions after Christmas, and free shuttles from your unit to wherever you want to go within the resort.
Regarding après ski activities: Although there is a bar within the resort, Smuggs offers mostly family entertainment. There’s bingo, an outdoor heated pool, an indoor pool, ice skating, snowmobiling (both adult and child versions), a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream parlor and an entertainment center with ping pong, a climbing area, foosball, skee ball and other arcade games.
All of the units I’ve stayed in have been pretty great. Some have wood burning fire places, and the rest natural gas. Although some are much older than others, the units have always been clean and equipped with full kitchens and plenty of clean linens, blankets, pillows, towels, coffee makers and ski lockers. They’re also equipped with ironing boards and hair dryers if you have the need.
What I’m not crazy about: Not much! I really don’t have many criticisms for this resort. If I had to pick a few things, I’d say that Wyndham’s partnership with the Smuggler’s Notch owner has given it more of a corporate feel as opposed to the family owned feeling that we grew to like (there seems to be more of a sales presence). Another thing would be that there’s not much street lighting on the resort, so you might want to bring a flashlight for any evening walks.
At the end of the day, though, the positives far outweigh the negatives. If you’re looking for some great skiing, but also a resort where you can put the kids in camp and have them entertained after skiing, I would highly recommend giving Smuggs a visit!

Smuggler’s Notch est une Station de ski de taille raisonnable située à une vingtaine de minute de voiture de Burlington. Je suis venu skier ici un 5 décembre, et l’enneigement était assez bon pour permettre l’ouverture d’une dizaine de pistes déjà. Bien que la montagne permette d’y pratiquer du ski de qualité, les infrastructures de la station sont vieillissantes, à commencer par les remontées mécaniques qui sont presque toutes de vieilles chaises doubles.
Si vous avez réservé une chambre à l’hôtel, notez qu’une navette fait la liaison entre le Village’s Center (l’hôtel, les condos et le chalet principal) et la remonté qui mèné jusqu’au sommet de Madonna Mountain, qui la plus grosse montagne de Smuggler’s Notch. Puisque c’était mal indiqué, voire même pas du tout, nous avons repris la voiture après avoir acheté notre billet de remonté pour rouler jusqu’à l’autre stationnement du centre de ski.
Les restos disponibles au pied des pistes étaient correctes et les prix relativement raisonnables (pour une station de ski). À noter que beaucoup de plat offerts sont préparés à partir du fromage Cabott qui est une fierté de la région. Pour ma part, j’ai dégusté dans un des restos un gros grill-​cheese au cheddar fort Cabott sur pain paysan que j’ai trouvé délicieux.
Je compte bien revenir ici plus tard en saison lorsque toutes les pistes seront ouvertes, mais pour l’instant, je recommande.
À noter finalement qu’il y a plusieurs bons endroits à visiter aux alentours, dont la distillerie de Smuggler’s Notch et la ville de Burlington.

I booked a group vacation for an early ski season weekend and brewfest and had a lot of difficulty handling logistics with the booking staff. First, I was quoted the wrong per person price when I called to book the reservation. When I received the confirmation email and saw the higher price I once again had to negotiate the rate. We then began discussing the ideal lodging layout. I wanted a 4 bedroom/​4 bath condo for my group of 13, and I was told that this would be a layout that would work for my group.
Less than a week before the trip the group vacations person came back to me (after I told my group how everyone would get a bed) and told me these rooms only accomodate 12 and one of my guests would have to sleep on a cot. Not cool. We switched to a 4 bedroom/​3 bath, figuring that getting 2 private bedrooms for couples would be consolation for losing one of the bathrooms. After we checked in though it turned out we weren’t even given the second room we were promised, after calling to complain (and being on hold for like 10 minutes) we were informed that the room we were promised was taken out of commission and there would be no similar room available (the apartment we got put in slept all 13 people but there was a lot of rearranging that needed to be done).
The room switch up caused another issue for me — the 2 pm check-​in time I was told would work was not the actual check-​in time, which apparently is 6 (group vacations didn’t tell me this one either). The check-​in girl unapologetically told me I would have to wait (finally got my keys at like 4:30) and I could just «hang out at the pool».
As for the resort and accomodations — condo was okay although one of the keys didn’t work so we only had one key for 13 people. Skiing was decent for early season although the double chairlift on Sterling Mountain is incredibly slow. Food is particularly expensive here too — two large cheese pizza’s cost us $ 40! Sheesh. Needless to say my group vacation will be somewhere else next year.

IT WAS THE BEST!
I went late July 2012 — August 1 2012. I had an AWESOME time in an almost remote location! It’s one of the best resorts EVER. It has 2 pools, 1 has more slides and one does not. The roads are dirt (kind of a disadvantage.) It also has a market and other things I can’t remember (it was that long ago.)
If you’re going to Vermont, go here. You won’t regret it.

Came up to Vermont for a wedding and spent one night at Smuggler’s Notch Resort and one night camping.
The Resort needs to be differentiated from the Inn. The Inn is a smug little house that you’ll hit five miles before the resort. The Resort is a Resort.
Heated pools (drank too much never made it there), skiing (drank too much never made it there), the restaurants (drank too much never made it there), and probably some other stuff I just couldn’t find the time for.
The room itself was well furnished, large, and well priced or maybe this is just how Vermont prices are. What I did find great was Brewster’s, this awesome little bar not even stone’s throw away. Definitely a good place to get hammered.

So far I gave it 4 stars .
The only complaint we really have is the small Tv s which is only important after your worn out from skiing and ready to flop
The shuttle that takes you everywhere is awesome. Drivers are great and friendly. And it’s free.
There’s 2 restaurant on property. We looked at one. Pizza 4 wings and a drink 10 $ pricey I thought but it’s the mountain.
We were at brewsters last night (off property) which the shuttle takes you) great food prices reasonable.
It’s also a shame that the kids have to be 13 to be in the funzone without parents. I think 11 should be fine. i don’t think many 13 year olds will want to slide. And that would give us a break.

The best way for me to describe Smugglers Notch is not disappointing but not blown away (then again I am a very tough customer).
Our first condo (premium) was lovely BUT very desolate and up a very windy, narrow scary road. Not fun to navigate unless you are a local. The condo was literally in the middle of nowhere — pitch black at night. You would need to take a car to go to the kids club, spa, village etc.
We ended up moving to a less fancy condo close to the village. The guest services people were extremely helpful. This condo was more spartan (we knew that when making the change).
The outlets in the master bath didn’t work and we shared our condo with at least a dozen Ladybugs (they told us it was the season). They also didn’t supply a hair dryer which was in the more expensive unit.
The Kids Club was great, as was Fun Zone (a tennis bubble with mini golf and several bounce houses). They need a coffee machine in Fun Zone.
The Grille was pretty good but you were hard pressed to find any healthy food options. Everything was covered in bacon or cheese. The poutine was quite good.
The Spa was nice but the facility was not plush. The massages were very good. The gym we used needed an upgrade. You couldn’t run on the treadmill. With every step down the belt would pause making it impossible to run. The treadmill also felt like it was on an incline even though it was on 0. They also need an elliptical machine.
Lastly, if you are not a local or are afraid of heights — avoid the scenic route at all costs. Beautiful but quite scary. Big drops with no road barriers.

It’s a great resort, but for the love of god PLEASE get a high speed chair in there. I swear I was getting frostbite from the 15 minute ride up to the summit.
As a note to add to other reviews, the smugglers notch pass through the mountain is closed in winter, so you can’t go up the main highway from waterbury to get to smuggs, you need to cut around from the north side of it.